Day 215: The Day the Babies Crawled Away

The first time we saw this book at the library, we took it home based on the title alone.  My son thought the idea of babies running away was hilarious, and given how much we love one of Rathmann's other books, Goodnight Gorilla, we figured it was a safe bet.  We read it several times once we got home and were not disappointed.  It was silly and fun, and it I knew I wanted to feature it here on the blog.  Alas, as so often happens, the library due date came before I had a chance to write about it, so I added the title to my running list of books we need to find again.

Last week, we borrowed it from my sister in law, who had gotten some of her daughter's old books out for my kids to read while we were at their house.  My son was excited to read it again, and my daughter, now 3 and old enough to appreciate it, has asked to read it no fewer than four times a day ever since.  Needless to say, its time has come!

The Day the Babies Crawled Away is a delightful little story that my whole family loves.  While grown ups are busy having a pie eating contest at the fair, their curious little babies crawl away!  They are immediately followed by the hero of the story, a little boy in a fireman's hat, who keeps them safe as they chase butterflies, explore the forest, crawl through caves, and chase frogs through bogs.  The babies find themselves in some rather precarious situations along the way, but the little boy is always there to save the day!

The rhyme scheme of the story makes it fun to read aloud, though the tempo and meter changes sometimes, so it's not as perfectly fluent a read as some stories.  That certainly doesn't seem to affect my kids' enjoyment of the story, however.  What really makes this book for me are the illustrations!  As you can see from looking at the book cover above, the illustrations are done in a unique, silhouette style.  I absolutely love the way the colors in the sky change behind the black silhouettes throughout the day, with the sunset and fireworks pages being my favorites.  There is an incredible amount of detail in the illustrations, as well, from the tiny caterpillar who follows our hero to my children's favorite:  the baby who is always hanging upside down!  My kids and I have enjoyed discovering new little details each time we read the story, and I love seeing what they notice on their own.

The silly nature of the story and the subtle intricacies of the illustrations make this a fabulous little story.  I have a feeling this will be a frequent request of my daughter's for a while, so I'm grateful it's on loan from family and not the library.  We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Day 162: Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes

My friend Julie recently introduced me to this book at a baby shower for one of our dear friends who is expecting her first child in just a few weeks.  I love baby showers, especially when they are for my closest friends, and also love the trend of having everyone bring a book to add to the new baby's library.  It's also a great way for me to get ideas about new books I should check out.  Julie raved about this one, and since I love some of Mem Fox's other books, I was happy to find it at our local library when we went earlier this week.  Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes is a perfect baby gift, and I can't believe I've never read it before now!  Maybe it's the fact that my own little baby just turned two, but I almost get a little choked up reading it at the end.  Helen Oxenbury's illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to Mem Fox's sweet, charming text, and I don't know how anyone can get through this book without smiling and feeling all warm and happy inside.  "There was one little baby who was born far away.  And another who was born on the very next day.  And both of these babies, as everyone knows, had ten little fingers and ten little toes."  The story goes on to feature other babies born under different circumstances and in different places, always coming back to its gentle chorus about their ten little fingers and ten little toes.  The story is short with a lovely combination of rhyme and repetition, making it a wonderful read aloud for babies and toddlers.  Most of all, I love the message that all children are alike, no matter how different their lives or appearances might seem.  If you're looking for a great book to give to a new parent or baby, or even just to add to your own collection, we highly recommend this adorable story.

Day 135: I Can't Talk Yet, but When I Do...

We brought this adorable book home from the library last week and it is so sweet that I just had to write about it.  Told from the perspective of a baby brother to his older sister, it tells of all the things he would say to her if he could.  "I can't talk yet, but when I do, I'll say thank you for helping to take care of me... for sharing your toys and making me laugh, and for helping me when I was learning to walk."  The little brother can't wait to be able to tell his big sister how much he loves it when she sings him songs, or that he is sorry about the time he tore the painting she brought home from school.  He'll let her know that when he grows up, he wants to be just like her, and he'll finally be able to say the one thing he wants to tell her most of all: "I love you."  The illustrations are darling, and I just love the different scenes and interactions between the two siblings throughout the book.  My favorite is the one of the brother and sister snuggling together in her bed while she reads him a story by flashlight.  The whole book seems to capture the relationship between my two little ones perfectly, which is why I think I love it so much.  My daughter is starting to be able to say some words, and my son loves asking her to repeat them as often as possible:  "Can you say Ma Ma?  Can you say Da Da?  Can you say Ba Ba?" (which is what he tries to get her to call him.)  I always feel so incredibly fortunate that my children absolutely adore each other, and I know that my daughter idolizes my son in every way.  There is no doubt in my mind that she wants to be just like him, but I know it can still sometimes be hard for my son to understand why my daughter does some of the things she does.  If you have or know a child who has recently become a big brother or sister,  read him or her this book, especially if they are having trouble adjusting to their new role as an older sibling.  It is a charming, sweet, and funny story about the love siblings have for one another, and is a wonderful reminder to all of the big brothers and sisters out there just how much they are looked-up-to, appreciated and loved.

Day 55: Everywhere Babies

A month or so ago, I featured Harriet Zierfert's Waiting for Baby in honor of my many friends who were pregnant at the time.  Well, those friends have now had their babies, including two dear friends of mine from college who welcomed their little ones into the world in the past two days (congratulations, Steffeys and Hicks!)  So now, rather than simply waiting for babies, there are babies everywhere!  Hooray!  Along with Waiting for Baby, Everywhere Babies was my son's favorite book before my daughter was born.  He was two and a half at the time, and we were desperately trying to get him used to the idea of becoming a big brother and having a little baby around the house.  He just fell in love with this book and still loves to read it even now that his little sister is almost ten months old.  (In fact, I just had to take a break from writing this to read it to him.)  Everywhere Babies is simply wonderful for children of all ages.  It describes all the things that babies do and the way they are loved by their families.  "Everyday, everywhere, babies are born," kissed, dressed, fed, rocked, and carried.  They make noise, play games, crawl, walk, and most importantly, are loved for "being so wonderful just as they are."  The lines have a lovely rhythmic flow to them as they describe the way babies grow throughout their first year, and Marla Frazee's illustrations do a fabulous job of depicting these wonderful events.  There are so many things I love about her pictures, from the way they show all kinds of different families to the accurate little details in her drawings that will make any parent smile.  (As an exhausted nursing mom, I particularly love the way she depicts the mom asleep in the rocking chair!  Marla Frazee must be a mother.)  This book would make a great gift for any child, particularly one who is about to or has recently become a big brother or sister.  Yay for babies everywhere!